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To Laugh, Cry and be Surprised
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jun 26 2026
Pages: 338
Weight: 0.86
Height: 0.76 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
My grandmother, Viola Mae Ririe made childhood magical. It didn't matter to us that her joints were stiff with rheumatoid arthritis, she used a cane for walking and often fell asleep while talking to us. I didn't matter that she used an old wringer washing machine and dried her laundry on line outdoor, that she had an apple press in the orchard which she used for making cider and that her house was cluttered with the things she enjoyed and never exactly clean. When we visited, we knew she would give us her undivided attention, feed us wholesome, tasty food, never give us a spanking and lavish us with whatever her meager livelihood could provide.
But mostly she told us stories-figments of her imagination that could keep us spellbound for hours and always begging for more. Our favorite was The Moon Dog-a wonderfully magical tale about a dog who would carry good little boys and girls on the end of a rainbow into his wonderful kingdom filled with every mouth-watering treat available to children in the 1905's and 60s. Unfortunately, not one of her nine grandchildren-and sadly that includes me-can remember that enchanting recitation in enough detail to put it down on paper. That has certainly been a great loss to my posterity since they have always preferred the stories I made up to the ones we read in books. How blessed I was to have her in my life for far too few years.
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